RSSBallmer: We Will Win on the Web
By Nate Mook | Published July 29, 2005, 4:18 PM
At the company's annual Financual Analyst Meeting Thursday, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer had no qualms about boasting his expectation that Microsoft will win on the Web just as it did on the desktop. While MSN may be struggling to keep up with Google and Yahoo, Ballmer said the Web is now a top priority for Microsoft.
"When you look at the last 10 years, we have won on the desktop. I think a lot of people can now fairly say, with what we've done with Windows Server, we have won in the business marketplace. And now we really are going to win on the Web," Ballmer said in his presentation.
At the center of Microsoft's new strategy is the company's currently in beta adCenter product, which will enable companies to easily place advertisements across MSN properties. The first component of adCenter is paid text links on MSN Search.
"We'll expand our services so that we become the number one place to advertise. We tend to offer not just the best search engine, but really the strongest overall array of online services. There will only be a handful of major players in the ad market, and you can rest assured this company will be one of them," Ballmer added.
Eventually, adCenter will serve as the one-stop shop for advertising on any Microsoft owned Web site. The focus will be on targeting specific users by age, gender, location, and interest - a feature not yet available from the company's rivals.
"There are billions of Internet users around the world. And if you get nothing else out of the whole day today, we are very, very, very serious and committed about driving our presence with that community, versus any and all competitors in the marketplace. It is a big opportunity for us," Ballmer said.
"It is a job-one priority for our company, this transformation to services and the competition that it brings with Yahoo! and Google and everybody else."
Every time I have use any MSN stuff in the past... I have found a much better alternative.... else where......
Face it Microsoft is a bloated company that
can not innovate anything. They borrow all of their new ideas from anyone they please.
And Ballmer's nickname is monkey boy.
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I will admit, Ballmer's being a wee bit too full of himself here. MS has definately lost the internet search engine war. Even before I used google I used dogpile, yahoo, and even askjeeves before stooping to msn. It just doesn't do well yet. I will admit it is getting much better than it was, but most people have already chosen their search engine. Sorry, msn is just way too bloated for me. Even if you do improve and surpass google, most web users have already made up their mind.
I'd rather MS focus more on improving IE rather than waste time on msn. MS still has more than a chance to keep FF from winning the browser wars--msn is a lost cause.
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hee hee, i have blocked my site from being listed by MSN so :-P
Also, how about an *optional* antivirus/antispyware/antiadware as a free add-on to windows? Sure, it might not generate as much revenue as your ad service for the web, but i see it as your responsibility to help protect the users driving your car (not just MS, but for all, linux, unix, mac, etc). Provide the seatbelt as an option, it's up to the drivers if they want to use it or not. I admit, you provide updates to the OS which end up stopping virus attacks, props for that.
I don't know the anatomy of viruses and spyware, so i'm willing to admit it may not be rational to include such services as part of the OS - just my thoughts.
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"we have won on the desktop", says Baldhead.
"then say thx u to the pirates out there that make out 33% of all the installed windblows around the world", says me.
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"We tend to offer not just the best search engine, but really the strongest overall array of online services"
I don't know anyone that uses MSN Search or even the MSN Home Page. The search doesn't find anything useful or at least not as well as Google and Yahoo. I Tell everyone not to use it. Now they may have made some improvements over the past few years, but they sucked for so many years and charge for link submission (or did) so I don't think they will ever get my service or my support. I am not Bashing Microsoft as a company, I love XP Pro Office 11 and many other apps they make I have a MS Multimedia keyboard and the Explorer 4.0 mouse. If I see something that I don't like about any company then I will post my opinion. I will also post about something I like too.
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I find MSN Search to be much better. It find more accurate information. Less ads forced on you, and the site responds so much better. Every computer I work on I set the home page to search.msn.com. I also tell my customers that MSNSearch is much more reliable.
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ha ha, sounds like me, every computer i work on, i install Fx and google the home page. I tell them, "just suffer" j/k.
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MSN has less ads? That's laughable. Have you SEEN the MSN website recently? The entire thing is ads!
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I can do nothing but laugh at that. Sorry.
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Has I have seen MSNsearch. The first 3 links in google are all ads, trying to sell me something. NOT MSN
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I just made a little test. I typed "Ford" in google and I got one ad on the right. I tried the same thing on search.msn.com and I got 3 ads on the top and another bunch on the right.
Just to show you that msn is also trying to sell you something...
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"IE7 Beta Breaks Instant Messaging Apps" loll... Mr Ballmer u will lose on Desktop bellieve me.... but on the Web don't be afraid u will lose it more. (try to be more Pride to be more M$)
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I have MSN Messenger 7.0 and AIM bother running at the same time with IE7 Beta. And I have had no trouble at all
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The main issue with ads on the internet, is that most people will either, ignore them or most likely simply block them.
Google ads are ok as they are non-intusive.
With Firefox, there are many ways to block ads.
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yeah, i love Fx partially for that! i don't block many ads, but when you got those freekin "rich media" ads that actually appear infront of what you are trying to read/view, or those annoying flashing ads (you know the ones), yeah those must go!
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Mr Ballmer: not everyone is a sucker...
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MS is interested in winning, not interested in producing a quality product.
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Winning is considered by most people as being "the best"... Whether you particularly like Microsoft or their business practices, or even the fact that there are always issues with their products (and everyone elses products), but their products have consistently become "better" over the years.
I'd much rather have Windows XP (fugly green start button and big honking blue title bars and all) over Windows 3.1.
That is the ultimate difference between Microsoft and everyone else... they know they're not perfect, but they give us what we ask for (given time and volume of desire), and they do improve over time. That is more than people can say about, say, America Online, Symantec, ZoneLabs, etc... their products get bigger over time, and do more, but also grow more obtrusive and limiting over time as well.
I can definitely do a lot more with current versions of Microsoft products than older versions.
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You have a good point and that is very true. Same goes for almost all major releases of their operating systems...ex. I would rather use Windows 98 rather than Windows 95 if I had to choose between the two.
I still prefer Windows 2000 over XP, but that is no really a 'major' version at 5.1.
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He needs to fix his software befor doing anything of the sort!
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This guys an idiot, they will not win the "web" as half the users on the web not only hate there operating system, but refuse to use MSN. Microsoft will never out innovate google, they will just wait until google comes up with an idea and then release the same thing with a different name, just like they do with Apple. They feed off the smaller companies that have to innovate to stay alive, could you imagine if Microsoft was a small company, if we didn't have to use windows, there would be no way people would say wow windows is great, looks great, and operates perfect, they would be done!
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Ballmer owns a patent for a human barcode grafted to the skin. No joke
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State your source. :Z
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It may have been Paul Allen? I read it somewhere *doh*
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You made that up just now. No joke.
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just goes to show exactly how much MS enjoys being a monopoly. If they had it their way they'd "win" the world.
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You know nothing grass-hopper.
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Which means they will try and charge a FEE for everything cause 50 billion is not enough of a cash reserve.
I'd prefer M$ just stay a Operating System company they barely get that done right and it takes forever.
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